Child of Fire
by George P
Summary: A brother is horrifically murdered. A sister considers her life from then on. Contains graphic imagery.


Child of Fire

by

George Pollock Jr.

Well, you know what they say: Where there's smoke, there's fire.

And I'm on fire with hatred. Which I know sounds corny and cliche, but it's true.

You won't believe this listening to me now, but I used to be really, really angry. And impatient. Like a spoiled little schoolgirl. And I'd scream to get my way. People tell me I used to talk so fast and so loud, they couldn't understand me. And I carried a big sword. Still do. It's bigger than I am. You know: Speak loudly and carry a big sword. Hey, it worked.

And after I'd scream, I'd giggle. "Tee-hee." Just like that. I think it was a nervous release. Like resetting myself after explosions in my mind, and that's _just _what they felt like. I mean, I'd just _become_ rage. Just for those moments.

Then I'd giggle. But not anymore. And I don't even have the rages anymore. Now I watch, I think, I consider, I assess. I wait for the right moment. And I'm waiting for the right moment right now.

Now I … simmer.­­­

No, wait ­– that's not the right word. What is it, what is it …?

"Smolder." Yeah. I smolder a lot now. I've been smoldering for a long time. It's from the hatred of the griffin.

I used to have a brother. He was my only family. And my only friend.­ But you wouldn't believe that if you saw us. You'd think we were trying to kill each other. But it was just sibling rivalry, that's all. We were just really, really competitive. That's all. Even in a little kids' game with fighting animal friends. We were always trying to get one up on the other. It was fun. For me, anyway. My brother was always full of himself, and I liked bursting his bubble.

But it was never hatred. Always love. Really. Always.

I save hatred for the griffin now.

He's evil. _God,_ he's evil. And he's the worst kind of evil: the kind that acts all calm and collected, but when he gets enraged, he turns into the monster he is. Compared with his rages, mine were _nothing._

And he has this creepy voice, all high-pitched and measured, and it has a kind of – I don't know – _echo _that makes it sound like he's talking from another dimension. Or maybe hell. Probably hell. I'd believe that now.

Not that Bro and I were saints. I mean, we'd push people around. I admit that. He knew martial arts, and I was good with my sword. You can get away with a _lot_ when you're good with martial arts and a sword.

But that was our _mistake_. That's how the griffin noticed us. And I will _never_ forgive myself for that.

He wanted to take over the world. They all do. I've never figured out why. Seems to me it would be a big job just trying to run the place if you actually got it.

So he invited us to his castle. Hey, this was a world with a _griffin, _OK? He can _have _a castle. He already had three people working for him. Two were guys, and they seemed clueless. And there was this woman, Ella. Sort of a cross between a cat and – I don't know – Jane of the Jungle or something. She seemed to be more on the ball. The griffin would have a plan, and she'd point out the problems with it. Then he'd say, "Huh. Never thought of _that_ …" Sometimes I thought _she_ ran the operation.

But other times, he'd get really angry with her, and his eyes would flame up with fire, and she'd look _really_ scared and shut up. Or apologize.

So we had her, the griffin, me, Bro and the two other guys. Now, you'd think that before we took over the world, we could take over the castle's forest and the nearby town, right?

Wrong.

There was this dojo in town, run by this old panda. Hey, if the griffin could have a castle, the panda could have a dojo, right?

Look, just go with me on this, OK? _I_ didn't create this world …

Anyway, the panda was pretty damn good at magic and martial arts, so he was no pushover. And on top of that, he had two students. Rabbits. Brother and sister.

Don't roll your eyes at me like that …

Stop it …

No,_ stop_ it.

_NOW._

All right …

From what I saw of them, they were _kind _of like Bro and me: They'd fight and stuff, and tease each other, and then they'd show how much they really loved each other.

Kind of like Bro and me. That always struck me.

Now, I'll admit the griffin and the rest of us were usually running away from them. Hey, they were _good._ The panda must have been a good teacher. Bro bunny knew martial arts and had magical weapons, and Sis bunny used magic. And sometimes they'd work as a team – which I couldn't always say for the griffin and us. That's probably why we were always running away from them.

I don't know … maybe we should've worked as a team more …

Maybe Bro would still be alive now …

…

…

Sorry …

Where was I?

Oh, yeah: The last time I fought with the griffin and the others, we actually had the rabbits where we wanted them. Personally, I couldn't believe it. It was usually the other way around. They were up against the base of a cliff, and they were under a magical shield held up by Sis bunny. But you could tell she was getting tired. We kept hitting the shield, and she finally fell to her knees, and the shield dropped.

I _never_ saw the griffin so happy. Never. His eyes flamed up again, and he started some spiel. They always seem to have a spiel. I don't know why. I always wondered if they wrote them out beforehand.

But while the griffin was going on, my brother leapt way up in the air. Which surprised everyone. Even the rabbits. And he yelled, "HA!! AHA!! I HAVE YOU NOW!! YOU ARE MINE!! HA!!"

OK … he talked like that sometimes. Like a bad dub of Bruce Lee. Who spoke English, anyway.

Then he started coming down on the rabbits, with one leg extended at them. More Bruce Lee stuff.

Well, Bro bunny just swung his magical bamboo sword and clocked my brother, who went flying backward crazy. And Bro smacked right into the griffin's face. When it happened, it was actually kind of _funny_.

When it happened …

So Bro hit the griffin's face, which gave the rabbits the out they needed to get away. They sort of ran and hopped away really fast. Yeah, I said it: They _hopped._ They're rabbits. They hop. That's what they do.

Anyway, the rabbits were gone, and Bro fell to the ground. The griffin shook his head, like he was trying to clear it, and then he saw that the rabbits were out of there.

And he was _pissed_ …

He looked down at Bro slowly, and for a moment, it looked like he didn't know what to do next. Then he face got angry.

_Really_ angry …

_Rage_ angry …

And he muttered, "_Fool_ …"

That time, his voice sounded like it was really coming from hell. Like a demon's snarl …

Just really …

Evil …

…

Um …

…

Uh …

…

OK …

This is where …

It gets …

Kind of …

…

…

…

Tough …

Excuse me a moment …

…

…

…

I'm sorry …

…

…

…

OK …

…

The griffin's eyes flamed up again.

And fire shot out of them.

And his mouth. Griffins can do that …

…

And Bro …

…

Burst into flame …

…

He didn't even have time to scream …

…

…

…

Sorry …

…

…

…

He … tried to crawl away …

And he looked up …

At me …

And …

…

I don't know …

…

He looked like death …

Like he _knew _he was leaving …

…

…

And it looked like he was looking _right at me_ …

And saying goodbye …

…

…

…

Then he became fire. You couldn't even see his body.

…

He was just …

Fire …

…

…

…

…

I'm sorry …

…

…

…

…

Everybody just stood there and watched. Nobody said anything.

But I can tell you … you could see Ella was _scared._ _Really _scared. I think she realized what would happen to her if she ever _really_ crossed the griffin.

Then the griffin looked at me.

And I felt the last rage I ever had.

I screamed. _God_, I screamed. It was like someone was crushing out every bit of breath I had in my body. I jumped up as high as I could, and I had my sword held above me with both hands. And all I could see was his eyes. And I really saw red. I did. It really happened.

And I remember thinking, "I'm going to cut his eyes out. I'm going to cut them out and watch the blood and jelly on my sword …"

Never even got close.

He swatted me away like a bug. He got smaller and smaller, and I slammed into something hard against my back. Found out later it was the base of the cliff where the rabbits had been. Didn't know it at the time, but two of my ribs were broken. Just for an instant, I didn't feel anything, but then the pain hit. It was like someone put a sword through me.

I fell down on my back. Suddenly, the griffin swooped down on me. He's a griffin. He has wings. He can fly. The ground shook when he landed over me, then he raised a forepaw, and his talons were out.

But he didn't kill me. Obviously. He put a talon on my chest and started pressing down, and I couldn't breathe, and I could feel my ribs start to bend. The ones that didn't hurt. And it was like he was crushing my heart. I could actually feel it slowing down.

But then he stopped and just looked down at me, and I could see his eyes weren't flaming. Which surprised me.

Then he said in that spooky high voice of his, "Your little tantrums have always _amused_ me." He was talking about my rages. "But I'm tired of you. I was tired of your brother. And without your brother, _you're _nothing. So I don't need you anymore."

And I thought:

"This is it …

"He's going to kill me …"

But he didn't. He took his talon off me and said, "But I'm going to let you live. As half a person. Without your brother. Remember that. That's all you are."

Then he turned to the others and said, "Let's go." And he flew off.

The others looked at each other, and they were scared. _Really_ scared. The two guys finally ran off, but Ella stayed and looked at me for a moment. Like she was going to cry. But she didn't. Then she ran off, too.

I honestly don't know how long I was on the ground. It was a while, anyway. Finally, I picked myself up, and my ribs shifted and, _GOD,_ it hurt. Then I went over to where Bro was.

…

…

…

…

OK …

…

Ever _seen_ a burned body …?

It looks like a charred stick figure …

All black and … crusty …

And there's still a lot of …

… stuff …

… on it …

…

…

…

One of his arms was stretched out to where I had been … like he was trying to reach me …

That's when I lost it …

…

…

…

Sorry …

…

…

I just fell on the ground and curled up in a ball, and I cried. Just bawled my eyes out. And when I sobbed, my damned ribs hurt.

And just like when I was at the base of the cliff, I don't know how long I was there.

You know …

I look back on it now, and I think of it like this:

It was the day my brother died.

And it was the day _my _life began.

My new one, I mean. I don't go into rages anymore. They stopped. Even when I think of the griffin. Nothing. Things are different now.

Now I watch. I think. I consider. I assess. I wait for the right moment.

Anyway …

I found my sword and started digging Bro's grave with it. Really. I did. It was early afternoon when I started, and for the life of me, I don't know why I remember that, exactly. I was in pain the whole time, and the full moon was just up when I finished. But the grave wasn't very deep.

I mean … there wasn't much of him … left …

…

…

I put him in, and then I used my hands and sword to cover him up. Tamped the dirt down with the flat side of the sword. And after that, I just keeled over and fell asleep. Just fell right over. That's the only way I can describe it.

I woke up later, and it was day. I don't know how long I was out. I lost a lot of time during all this. Then I saw Bro's grave, and all I thought was "Oh, yeah. Right. He's dead." All blank-like. That was it.

I sort of crawled over to the grave, and then I …

Well …

Kissed it …

And I said goodbye …

But I didn't cry. Guess I was all cried out by then.

So I got up and tried taking a few steps – and found _that _was a mistake. The pain in my ribs hit me again. Finally ended up using my sword as a crutch.

I looked around. I mean, I didn't know _where _to go. Couldn't go back to the castle, of course. And I knew the pain would get worse if I didn't get some help. For all I knew, I was bleeding inside. But I didn't think so because I figured I'd have been dead long before that if that had happened. But I needed help. I knew that.

So I thought ...

And considered …

And decided to swallow my pride …

And I went to the dojo.

I was about ready to pass out from the pain when I got there. _Trust_ me.

Bro bunny answered the door, and his eyes, like, bugged out when he saw me. They're pretty big to begin with, and when they bugged out, it was _really_ creepy. He yelled in surprise, reached behind his back and pulled out his bamboo sword.

So I said – very quietly – "I want to see the master …"

And I think _that _was when it finally registered with him I was filthy, was using my sword as a crutch and my face was all dirty and had tear tracks all over it. And that I was clearly in no condition to fight.

Then I took a big breath – which hurt my ribs like hell – and said …

"_Please_ …"

Well, Bro bunny looked at me like I had just grown a third tit right in front of him.

He stared at me for a moment and finally put the sword away. Then he kind of fumbled for something to say before taking my hand. And he finally said, "Um … yeah … c'mon in …"

The panda and Sis bunny were there, and they were shocked stiff when they saw me, but Bro bunny vouched for me. The panda led me to a chair, and I told them about what happened after the fight with the rabbits and how the griffin killed my brother and how he broke my ribs …

And how I buried Bro …

The panda told Sis bunny to start healing me with her magic. When she started, it felt good. Warm. She told me later it was the first time she could remember me smiling at her when it wasn't wicked. Personally, it thought _that _was funny as hell.

The panda asked me where I buried Bro, and I told him. Then he pointed at Bro bunny and said, "You're with _me_. Let's go." Before they left, the panda told Sis bunny to help me take a bath, get some clean clothes and get to bed. Then he and Bro bunny left.

When Sis bunny helped me take a bath, she washed my hair for me because even though she fixed my ribs, I still couldn't reach up that far. After a while, she said she knew we were supposed to be enemies and all, but she had always liked my long hair. That it was pretty. It was kind of strange to hear that from _her_, but it made me feel good in a way, so I said, "Thank you …" I was really embarrassed. I think I blushed. You can see I have a weird skin color, so sometimes you can't tell if I'm blushing or not. But I think I did.

By the way, the only clothes in the dojo that fit me were the panda's pajamas. Not the ones he was using right then. Gag me. A clean pair.

That's when it hit me how unreal the past two days had been: The griffin had killed Bro, I buried Bro with broken ribs, I ended up in my enemies' dojo – and I was wearing a panda's PJs.

And I thought: "What the _hell_ just _happened_ to me …?"

By the way, that's called "gallows humor."

Then Sis bunny helped me to bed, and again, I slept for I don't know how long. I did a _lot_ of that then. Guess I was more wasted than I thought. But I felt better when I woke up. There was an alarm clock on a nightstand next to the bed, and I saw it was near dinnertime.

I got up slowly and still felt achy. Then I saw my clothes on a hanger on the door, and they were clean. Sis bunny told me later she washed them while I was asleep. And that made me think how nice these people were. It never occurred to me before.

My boots were by the door, and they were clean, too. And my sword was leaning up against the wall, and even _it_ was all nice and clean. Guess she took care of that, too. I thought that maybe they trusted me with it while I was there. That, or they thought they could take me in a fight in my condition.

But I didn't feel like fighting. Not _then_, anyway. And I had the impression they wouldn't fight someone recovering from injuries. Not after all they'd done for me.

I hoped.

And, yes – for the record – that's_ more_ gallows humor.

So I got dressed and went to find them. I left my sword in the room. I heard dishes clinking and smelled food. It smelled _really_ good, so I followed it.

They were in what I guessed was the dining area. It really wasn't a dining room, just an open space with a low table and cushions around it. Bro and Sis bunnies were setting the table – for four, I noticed – and said "Hi!" when I came in. Sis bunny asked if I felt better, and I said, "Yeah," and Bro bunny asked if I was hungry, and I said I was. Because I _was_.

Which made me realize how hungry I'd _always _been. Bro and I really never had a home after Mom and Dad died. Not until we went to the castle. I _did_ share an apartment once with three guys, but it didn't work out. I found I liked being with Bro more. We got by as best we could, but it was always slim living.

This is a true story: The only chance we _ever_ had for big money was when we ended up once in the shady part of a town at night. Not that we wanted to. This one guy came up to us, and he was _super _creepy.

He looked at me like he was sizing me up, then looked around like he was being watched by someone. Then he whispered to Bro, "How much? I'll pay big. A hundred? Two?"

And Bro asked, "For what?"

And Mr. Creepy jerked a thumb at me and said, "Her."

Well, I heard that, and I wasn't even angry. I felt … dirty. Actually felt like I needed a shower.

Long story short, Bro left him with his arms and legs going in directions they weren't supposed to go. Then we left, and he told me later I'd never have to do something like _that _while he was alive.

Well …

He _was_ alive. Then.

And, by the way, even after we joined the griffin, we never ate too well. Trying to take over the world _sounds_ good and all, but it doesn't pay _crap_.

So the table at the dojo looked just _fantastic_ to me. There were only side dishes on it then, but it looked like a banquet. I thought that if they always ate this well at the dojo – well, _hell,_ sign me up.

And … I know this'll sound strange … but then I felt … guilty …

I mean, Bro had just been _murdered_ the day before. And here I was, ready to forget him for a decent meal. _That's_ all it took?

_God_, I felt guilty about that …

But that's when Sis bunny said we were going to have "Master's Surprise" for dinner. So I asked what that was.

And Bro bunny said, "If you can keep it down, it'll be a surprise!"

Suddenly, I heard "I HEARD THAT!! and the panda walked in, holding a casserole pot with oven mitts. Then he said, "You don't like it, you know where the ramen noodles are!"

So Sis bunny looked at Bro bunny with this huge grin and asked, "Direct hit?" And Bro grinned back and shouted, "DIRECT HIT!! _YES_!!"

Anyway …

We had dinner, and the panda asked me how I was and all that, and I said fine. That's when he told me that while I was asleep, he and Bro bunny had gone to my brother's grave and "fixed it up."

Well, I asked what _that _meant, and he said they used magic to give him a proper burial. They made a coffin from a tree and a vault from rocks, then put him down a decent depth. They used more rocks to make a headstone with his name. And they left some flowers on top of everything.

So I heard all that, and I just looked down at the table. I honestly didn't know what to do, so all I said was "Thank you ..." It was so low, I wondered if they heard me.

Nobody said anything for a moment, then Sis bunny said, "I'm sorry … about your brother. Really ..."

And Bro bunny said, "Yeah … You two were a great team …"

I just nodded because I knew I was going to lose it right there. Then the panda said the three of them had been talking and they agreed that if I wanted to, I could stay at the dojo. He said they could teach me to fight my rages. He said he was sorry, but they'd always noticed I had, well, a _really bad temper _...

I nearly blurted out a laugh because it was true. But I just nodded again. The panda said it could be the start of a new life for me.

What he didn't know was I already _had_ a new life. In my own way. But I didn't _tell_ him that, of course.

I looked at him and thanked him. And the rabbits. And I said I didn't know how I felt about it and that I'd like to think about it, if that was all right. They said, "Sure."

So we finished dinner, and the panda and I watched TV while the rabbits did the dishes. Sis bunny washed them, and Bro bunny dried them. All by hand. No magic. And Bro bunny whined about that. A lot.

I asked the panda why they didn't just use magic. He said it was his lesson to teach them to not always rely on magic. And besides, he said, it got _him_ out of doing the dishes.

That was funny, and I looked down a bit, and I realized I was beginning – just a little bit – to really like being with them. At the castle, I really didn't like _anyone _except Bro.

And … when I thought of him again … I started feeling guilty … again …

And I thought:

"Damn …"

It must have shown on my face because when I looked back at the panda, he had this expression like he knew what I was thinking. But he didn't say anything. He just held out the remote and said, "Your turn …" That's all. But I got the impression he _felt _something, so I played it cool after that.

The rabbits finished the dishes and came in, and we watched more TV. Bro bunny said the show I picked was dumb. Sis bunny said it wasn't, and they started that "Is not! Is, too!" thing until the panda told them to shut up. I remembered how my brother and I would do that when we were kids, and I said it was all right.

And … it struck me … I'd never get to do that with him again … even in fun …

Never …

Because of the griffin.

And I thought:

"I can't stay here … It'd be nice, but I can't …

"Because Bro and I weren't trash, and I'll be damned if the griffin treated us like that.

"I've got to go ..."

We watched two or three more shows, then the panda said it was time for the rabbits to go to bed. Bro bunny whined about it, but I knew he was a whiner, anyway.

Now, this is where it gets weird:

Before they left, Sis bunny came over – I was sitting down – and hugged me. Just enough so my ribs wouldn't hurt. She could probably sense that after she treated them. I swear to God I didn't know to do. I just froze. Which was weird because she was really _warm._ I guess rabbits are. I finally just sort of embraced her, and she said, "See ya tomorrow. 'Night." I kind of nodded or something.

After she let go, she glared at Bro bunny, who rolled his eyes and came over like it was a chore. And, um … OK, it's a long story, but we _did _have some … _history_ … together. But that was long ago, and it's _over_ now, _OK_? _OVER._

Anyway, he put his arms around me as loosely as he could and said as fast as he could:

"Goodnightsleeptightdon'tletthebedbugsbite."

And just as fast, he let go and walked off, gave Sis bunny a wicked look and said, _"Satisfied?"_

She grinned, and he kind of stomped out of the room. Then Sis bunny smiled and waved at me before she left, too.

_God_, I couldn't get sibling rivalry out of my head …

The panda asked me if I wanted to watch more TV because, he said, he had to go pack a lunch for a journey tomorrow. It made me remember when I was a little girl and our mom would make our school lunches the night before, so that made sense.

And it struck me I hadn't thought of Mom like that in years …

So I told the panda no, I was going to go out and sit on the dojo's deck for a while and get some fresh air. He said, "OK. Good night," and left.

Now, I _did_ go outside. I just sat on the deck and looked at the stars for a while. I could see the constellations, but everything seemed, like, different. The whole world didn't _feel_ the same anymore.

It was a really nice night, though, so I just sat there. And I thought.

And I considered.

And I assessed.

And I decided to wait for the right moment.

After the panda finished in the kitchen and went to his bedroom and closed the door, I pretended to go to bed, too. But I just lay on the bed – with my boots off and in my clothes – figuring things out. Details.

But I fell asleep, anyway. Guess I was full after dinner. And looking back on it now, it was good I stocked up on sleep like I did.

When I woke up, it was about 3:15. I got up but didn't put on my boots. Figured everyone would hear me if I went down the hall in them. Then I grabbed my sword, opened and closed the door quietly and left.

I could hear this really _loud _snoring, and when I passed an open door, I saw it was the rabbits' room. Bro bunny was making the racket, and Sis bunny was asleep on the other side of the room. She was face-down on her bed and had a pillow over her head. I didn't blame her.

Then I went to the kitchen and took as much nonperishable food as I could cram into the pockets of my skirt. And I took a can opener. I mean, I'm not stupid: Canned food's no good without a can opener, right? I really did feel bad about stealing the food after how nice they'd been to me. And I hadn't felt bad about _anything_ I'd done in a long time. And I felt bad about sneaking out, too, so that's why I just wanted to get the hell out of there.

The back door of the dojo was off the kitchen, so I opened and closed it as quietly as I could. I was getting pretty good at that. The dojo had a wraparound deck, and the moon was out, so there were shadows up and down. I sat on the top of the stairs nearby and started putting on my boots.

And then, out of nowhere, there was this voice:

"Weren't you even gonna say goodbye?"

I kid you not: I damn near pissed my panties. Seriously.

So I snapped my head around, and there was the panda, in a shadow. I could see only his face, and that was super spooky. Then he walked toward me, and I saw he was holding what looked like a bento lunchbox wrapped in a kerchief. "Those are bad manners for a guest," he said.

I went back to my boots and told him I _had _to go and I was sorry I was leaving like this and I was grateful for all the help but I _had _to go. Then I stood up, and when I did, the can opener and a can rattled in my pocket, and the panda gave me a look. I knew I was caught, so I just admitted taking stuff from the kitchen for my trip. And I wasn't ashamed to tell him. I needed the stuff.

But he said to keep it. I wasn't expecting that. Then he held out the box in the kerchief and told me to take it, too – it was some lunch. I told him I thought it was for his journey.

And he said, "It _is_ for a journey. Never said it was _mine._"

And I thought:

"_WHOA_ …

"This is the _coolest _panda I've ever met …

"Or the _scariest _…"

To this day, I'm still not sure which …

Anyway, I took the box and asked him how he knew I was going to leave. He said he could see it in my eyes – that I had unfinished business I wanted to get to. Guess I didn't hide it as well as I thought I did.

So then I asked how he knew I'd sneak out the back door. And he said, "It's how I sneak out when I want to get out of doing the dishes." Then he shrugged and grinned.

Well … _that_ made sense …

We looked at each other for another moment, then he said killing the griffin wouldn't bring my brother back. I said I knew that – really, I did – but I had to deal with things in my own way. I said that maybe if the griffin killed me, anyway …

I'd be back with Bro again …

The panda was quiet for a little bit, then he asked, "That what you _want_?"

And I said no – not really.

So he said he couldn't stop me but … not to just throw my life away. It was too valuable – that's what he said.

I didn't think anyone in the world thought I was valuable anymore. I didn't _feel_ like it right then. But it was nice to hear.

The panda said he'd tell the rabbits I left early in the morning. Hey, it was somewhere around 3:30 then, so it was the truth. And I asked him to tell them I said thank you for everything, and he said he would.

Then he said, "If you ever want to come back here, you can. You'll have a home."

OK, I knew I was going to lose it then, so I just went over and kissed him on the cheek. It was all furry. I don't know; I just _felt _like doing it.

And let me tell you: Once you kiss a panda, you _never _forget it.

Then I stepped back and gave him the biggest bow I could without any pain. And I'll tell you another thing: I don't bow to _anyone. _But I _wanted _to bow to him. It was like the kiss – I just _felt_ like it.

So he gave me a little nod, and I turned around and left. And I didn't look back. I didn't feel like it. I'd done everything I wanted to.

So here I am.

I get by. Bro and I got by on our own for a _long _time. I know all the wild plants you can eat, and I'm not afraid to hunt – _and_ kill – for food. It's them or me; that's the way I look at it. And I take baths and wash my clothes in a stream or river. Usually at night, so I'm not seen. Don't want to have to deal with any Mr. Creepys. But you wouldn't want to get into a hand-to-hand fight with me, anyway – even if I _was_ naked.

But, hey, if you _were_ Mr. Creepy, that'd be a distraction, right?

And … so far … I haven't been so bad off that I've had to take money from creeps. If you know what I _mean_. And I don't intend to. I think Bro would be proud of that. And like the panda said, my life _is _valuable. The creeps could _never_ cover it. Never.

And I'm _not _just half a person, like the griffin said. I loved Bro, but I'm my own person. I know myself now. I'm complete. The griffin can go to hell.

Speaking of which …

Right now, I spend my days in the forest near the castle. I watch. I think. I consider. I assess. And I'm waiting for the right moment. I see the griffin's comings and goings, and I watch his fools. I know the castle from when I was there, and I know they'll make a mistake someday.

And I'll be there. If the three get in the way – even Ella – I'll cut them, and you might not believe this, but I _can_ cut to kill. Don't _ever_ get in my way if I'm going for something that isn't _you_. Word to the wise.

And then I'll get the griffin.

But right now, I … smolder. I keep warm with the fire of hatred. I know that sounds corny and over the top – but I really, really feel it.

Right now, I don't feel like giggling. I told you that. If it _was_ a release, it's not the release I need now. I know I said my last rage was when Bro was killed, but I don't think that's right. I think it'll be the next time with the griffin. But only after I _know_ I have him where I want him, and no matter where he turns, I'll be there because I'd have already figured out that's where he's going to be.

Because I'd sat out here and smoldered.

And one day …

After it's all over …

And he's dead …

I might go back to the dojo.

And then, when the panda and Bro and Sis bunny laugh at something that's truly funny, I'll be there with them, and I'll feel warm.

And I'll giggle again.

********

"Yin Yang Yo," its characters and situations are copyright of their respective owners. Story copyright 2009 by George Pollock Jr.


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